The 22-year-old from Ballymena, who has cerebral palsy, proved one of the stars of the 2012 Paralympics as he stormed to victory in the T37 800 and 1,500 metres at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

But the accident in the Italian capital meant he had to undergo surgery on the fractured scaphoid bone in his right wrist in a move that could rule him out of the able-bodied European Cross Country Championships in December.

His father and coach, Paddy McKillop, explained the unfortunate fall happened during an sightseeing tour.

"It was just a freak accident, and he has a few bruises as well as the fracture," he said.

"Our plans are now in disarray.

"Michael had been aiming to make the Irish Under 23 able-bodied cross country team for the European Championships in Budapest in December, but that is now unlikely."

The injury is a blow in what has otherwise been a phenomenal 2012 for McKillop.

At the London 2012 Paralympic athletics test event, McKillop became the first man to break a world record in the Olympic Stadium in what proved a prelude to his double gold medal winning performance at the Games.

At the Paralympic Closing Ceremony, he was then awarded the prestigious Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Michael McKillop was given the prestigious Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award by the IPC at the London 2012 Paralympic Closing Ceremony

The award has been presented at every Paralympic Games since 1988 to one male and one female athlete who "best exemplify the spirit of the Games and inspire and excite the world" and McKillop picked up the award at London 2012 alongside Kenya's Mary Nakhumicha Zakayo.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]